Pittsburgh rapper to return to Knoxville for Second Bell appearance
By Kate McLawhorn
Our artistic integrity lies within the stories we tell. For Benji., the rising 26-year-old musician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, his story speaks to dedicated devotion, tenacious spirit and humble optimism.
The young rapper had an early introduction to music. Having grown up in an artistically inclined family, music was always in the house.
“I got my start playing wood blocks in preschool to a couple of Britney Spears songs,” Benji. says with a laugh. But building beats with the blocks inspired him to ask his parents for a drum set for Christmas that year.
That was only the beginning, though. And growing up, the musician had another musical influence in close vicinity: Benji.’s older brother, Christo, is a producer and a DJ himself. “I’ve always watched him and looked up to him as a role model,” Benji. says. “I found my footing watching him and figuring out what I wanted to do. I wanted to rap.”
That’s what he does, and he does it well.
In November 2018, Benji. announced that he had signed with Misra Records, an independent label based in his hometown. That partnership exposed the young musician to opportunities he never before would have thought possible. Then, earlier this year, he was included by NPR in a list of 20 emerging artists to watch in 2019.
Knoxville audiences discovered in May why Benji. has been fast-tracked to stardom. He and his backing group, the Ghetto Gospel Symphony, performed three times over the course of the weekend at Rhythm N’ Blooms, packing the Pilot Light, Barley’s and the outdoor Kid Curry Stage and immediately establishing an enthusiastic following locally with their first performances in the Scruffy City. And for good reason, too: Benji.’s live show is full of dynamic energy and upbeat positivity, the very qualities the artist himself exemplifies.
Getting to Knoxville had been no easy feat, however. Although the drive itself allowed Benji. and his team ample time to settle on the aforementioned band name, they had to rely on last-minute support from the Pittsburgh community to get them here. They had put up a GoFundMe page asking for financial help as a last resort; within 29 hours, their goal was met, and they were on their way.
“It was crazy to see that kind of support from so many people,” Benji. says, adding that to see his hometown back him so readily in that way was overwhelming.
Benji. is no stranger to persistence through adversity. His debut album, “Smile, You’re Alive!” touches on his personal struggles with some of the toughest trials that life can present.
In November 2017, Benji.’s music equipment went missing from a storage area; the hard drive on which the music for his album was housed was gone – and thus so was basically everything he had ever worked on. That same month, he learned that the child he was expecting with his girlfriend was not his. Before the year ended, he would lose a close friend to suicide.
Approaching his art with a sense of candid transparency, Benji. openly acknowledges his journey of pain and self-discovery, recognizing that if he can help one person each day feel a little less alone, that’s all that matters. When asked what got him through such dark times, he grows quiet for a second before taking a deep breath.
“You live through every single one of your worst days,” he says. “You can have a bad day, but then 24 hours is over, and it’s done. You can use those 24 hours to make steps and strides so the next day is better than the day before.” It’s this sort of profound positivity that makes Benji. a breath of fresh air, both as a performer onstage and as a human being off of it.
Benji. reflects upon his past struggles with sincere appreciation for the lessons they have taught him. “I’m extremely blessed and extremely humbled by everything that happened. Life is beautiful,” he says, clearly optimistic about what the future might hold for him.
One thing is for certain: Benji. will return to Knoxville to perform at Second Bell Music Festival on Aug. 17 in what will be a highly anticipated midday set.
kate@blanknews.com
